At 91 years young, Millie Garfield is one of the Internet's oldest bloggers, according to The Ageless Project. With an authentic and humorous voice, a knack for story telling and frequent updates, Millie's blog, My Mom's Blog, shows that people want to hear from someone with a story to tell.

I'M STILL ENJOYING MY BIRTHDAY
It's almost a week since I celebrated my 91'st birthday and would you believe I'm still receiving phone calls and cards from old friends! They are not letting me forget that I am now a year older. That's a good thing because I am lucky to have achieved something that not too many people lay claim to. Some people I know do not even want to admit their age! ;-)

But I digress...

My main reason for this post is to say "Thank you" to all my friends that sent me such wonderful wishes and caring thoughts. It really made me feel good to hear that they miss my posts and videos.

How I got started blogging

It was thirteen years ago when I asked my son Steve an innocent question, "what is a blog?" He explained it to me and asked if I would like to have my own blog. I said "Yes."

He helped me get started, encouraged me and also introduced me to video blogging. I thank him for that!

All this has got me thinking - maybe I could post something once in a while.

Life is different for me now. What would I write about? Who knows?

Again I want to tell you how much I appreciated your good words and visits to my blog.

I Sold My Car
For the past three years that I've been living at a retirement community I've been driving less and less.

I don't have to go out on "the road" to do this or that. It's easier to take the transportation provided by Brooksby than to get into my car, get into the traffic, maintain the car, pay the insurance, get gas and repair the car when needed.

Oh, and have the car shoveled out in the winter! Forget that!

My son and daughter in-law have been great - take me food shopping and any other important errands that I have to do.

I haven't driven at night in a very long time and was not anxious to drive, even in the daytime. It was high time to throw in the towel.

As I sit here and write about my beloved Toyota Camry I realize my car was SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD.

HOW DID I DECIDE TO BUY A TOYOTA?
One winter when I was spending time in Florida I would take daily walks. At the time I was thinking about buying a new car and noticed that most of the cars that were parked on the premises were Toyota Camrys.

Well, most of the residents were seniors and I figured, if they thought it was a good car, it was a good car. When I got back up North I did a little research and made the decision "that was the car for me."

That car never gave me any trouble, good to the last drop!

The furthest that car even went was when it was being transported to Florida on a car carrier, otherwise it took me to the market, to the movies or to the mall.

Now that it is gone I have mixed feelings.

I will miss just hopping in and coming and going when I please, but happy that I no longer have the responsibility of a car. I've gotten used to managing without my own buggy.

I wanted to sell the car before the winter and that has worked out. Mostly, I am very happy that a fine young man is now the proud owner of my Toyota, and will enjoy a happy and long life with the car as I did!

FLIRTING WITH MY BIRTHDAY
In my day I wasn't much of a flirt, straight forward, direct and said it the way it was! Times they are a changing!

Back in July my son Steve told me that we would start celebrating my "big 90th" birthday early "so be prepared mom."

That day he and my daughter-in-law Carol came with some wonderful goodies. That's the way July went - one good thing after another!

The following week Steve invited me to join them to attend the grand opening of the Lord Hobo Brewing Co. I've given up beer drinking but if you get an invitation from your kids, you go! I do know many of Steve's friends, have meet them in person and know them via the computer so I figured it would be fun.

Little did I know what he had up his sleeve!!!

At one point in the day he escorted me to a certain area at the brewery and what do you know - I knew lots of people that were gathered there.

Next thing I knew I saw a couple of frosted cookies with candles on them and the crowd sang a jolly happy birthday to me!!!

Mind you it's still July.

One day they came for a visit carrying a very large box - what could it be?

I guessed - a book?

Yes, it turned out to be two copies of my "My Moms Blog" self published book that Steve made for me years ago!

I recently told him that one of my friends has her self published book in the Brooskby library, SO he made me a copy to contribute to the library!

I'm not through yet.

The Yiddish group that I conduct meets the first Thursday of every month. Part of every meeting is "Show and Tell" so I thought "what a great thing to bring to the meeting" - I brought the book and told my story. They loved it!

We meet for dinner and share our stories.

After the entree the wait staff takes our dessert orders, and last night it was strawberry cheese cake.

Before they served that delicious dessert the waitress walked in with a fabulous decorated cake with candles. It was a birthday cake for me!

MEMORIES, MUSIC AND IRVING BERLIN
You name it, I've seen many outstanding plays in my day - comedies, dramas and musicals.

There were times when I couldn't afford the price of a "good seat" but for the price of $2.00, climbed those stairs at the theatre and sat in the second balcony, it didn't matter as long as I got to see the show!

Still going to the theatre every chance I get!

As soon as I was notified that tickets were available to see "Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin" my friend and I signed up. It's a good thing because the tickets that Brooksby had were sold out pronto.

When they offer a trip, it includes transportation, which is a big deal, especially if it's going into Boston.

Hersey Felder did an amazing job as Irving Berlin. He told the story of his coming from Czarist Russia to New York's Lower East Side. He got to be known as "the singing waiter." That's how he earned some money.

Several times during the performance Felder gestured to the audiences as he played a tune, inviting us to sing along! We knew the words, we knew the melodies.

As he told the remarkable composer's story, the more he became alive to me. By the last scene, I really felt I was seeing Irving Berlin in the flesh!

It was a two hour show, no intermission.

He spoke about Berlin's ups and downs, his happy marriage, and love of his family.

He died in his sleep at the age of 101.

According to Berlin's obituary in the New York Times he has written a staggering 1,500 songs.

Some songs by Irving Berlin in no particular order:

God Bless America
White Christmas
Always
What'll I do
Blue Skies
Puttin on the Ritz
There's No Business Like Show Business
Let's Face the Music and Dance

Plays
"Annie Get Your Gun"
"Call Me Madam"
"As Thousands Cheer"

It's hard to pick a favorite but right now I feel like it's "Puttin on the Ritz."

A FOURTH OF JULY MANICURE
It was time for my son to have his Mercedes-Benz serviced and invited me to take advantage of Mercedes-Benz of Burlington's complimentary manicure, "while you wait, have your nails done."

A few months ago I had the pleasure of that experience and didn't hesitate to say, "yes."

When I walked into the salon I noticed very attractive and clever red, white and blue decorations.
The manicurist explained that the colors were chosen in recognition of the upcoming holiday.

In keeping with the theme of the holiday she suggested I choose from a shade of blue- light blue, medium or deep blue! WHAT!

When I do my nails myself, it's always a clear or natural shade. Never, ever did I wear a dark color!!!

I made a quick decision and said, "ok, lets do the dark blue."

Once she finished doing that part of the manicure - she asked me if I would like to `add some shimmer to my nails. I don't remember exactly her chose of words but again I had to make another decision!

What the heck - you only live once!

I must say , it was a fun thing to do!

My son Steve upon seeing my "DO" took a photo of his mom with her Fourth of July manicure, posted it on his website and received a surprising number of comments.

"Ma, you should make a post about it and find out why so many people responded to this particular post."

PART TWO: THE MAD MEN AFFAIR
Last time I wrote about Mad Men I was disenchanted with the show. I didn't like the turn of events, and the way the characters had aged. Every thing and everyone was going downhill, especially Don Draper.

When I look back at my thoughts then, and how I feel now, it's like when a person is caught up in a relationship, and they see only what they want to see, and go along with whatever is happening because they care for the person.

It's hard to let go!

You try but you just can't do it.

Well, that's me.

I can't let go!

There are only a few episodes left. I have to see how Matthew Weiner will put closure to the lives of all the characters on "Mad Men."

Here are some of my thoughts about how the show will end!

PEGGY OLSON
When she started working at the agency she was a young, innocent and ambitious person who learned a lot from Don and wanted to be an in charge person like her boss. She did accomplish that, but what about her personal life?

She recently went on a blind date with a great guy. They hit it off and spoke about going to Paris together.

Her bags are backed, flight is ready for takeoff. Her phone rings - it's an emergency call from a major client - they need her attention immediately - What is she going to do? Like Don - career comes first.

Peggy cancels her trip.

Will she end up like Don with nothing?

JOAN
She worked her way up to a well deserved high paying position at the ad agency, had a bad marriage and recently met a retired guy who is very interested in her but not keen on being a dad to her four year old son.

He's going to try to make a go of it because he's smitten with her.

But will he stick to his guns?

BETTY
Don's first wife is now happily married and has become a better mother and an understanding person. She's going to college to become a psychologist.

She will find great satisfaction in her chosen field.

DON
He has lost everything, no home, no family and is not the brilliant young ad man anymore.

Reality sets in - He has hit bottom - has to stop smoking and drinking.

Rumor has it that Matthew Weiner has opened up a rehabilitation center and so Don Draper runs quick like a bunny to get admitted.

For those of you that are still hooked on Mad Men and have not seen the most recent episode there will be spoilers on this post!

BUT FIRST: MY HISTORY WITH THE SHOW

When Matthew Weiner first introduced Mad Men seven years ago I fell for it, hook line and sinker!

The sets were exactly like what you would have found in the 60's. The ad agency office had the typewriters, the phones and the employees dressed in the clothes of that era.

Men wore suits and skinny ties.

Women wore high heels, short skirts and tight tops.

Men held the high paying jobs. They smoked and drank.

Women did the work but did not receive recognition for it.

Sexual harassment was not even a word than but it was happening.

The show won me over for many reasons.

I was an office worker in the 50's and the 60's and could relate to how the cast members dressed, their hair styles and how they connected with each other.

EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT WAS AN EXPERIENCE

I'd watch the show, try to capture and understand what was really going. The next day I'd call my friend who was equally involved with the show. Between the two of us we would try to figure out what "he meant by that."

There came a time when we were able to see Mad Men a second time and THEN between the two of us and the reviews we read were able to "get it."

FAST FORWARD

All these years we have seen the cast through thick and thin, seen them age, have affairs, get married, get divorced, watch them drinking, smoking and dealing with drugs.

The seasons have been short - before we knew it another season ended. We didn't like waiting for the show to come back.

OK, here we are again. This is the final season - no more Mad Men! From what I have seen so far it has been very disappointing!

This last episode took the cake! Megan and Don are getting a divorce,and come together to settle matters.

Megan tells Don she wasted her youth on him and blasts him out, "you aging, sloppy, selfish liar."

He quietly says, "you are right."

Reaches into his jacket pocket, pulls out his checkbook and writes a check for one million dollars and hands it to her!

The birthday boy is as charming and handsome as ever! A number of his family and friends paid tribute to the kind of person he is. Letters were read from Robert Kennedy's nephew, Barney Frank, and President Obama and his wife.

We got to see dear cousins that I haven't seen in a very long time, one of which is 101 years old!

One person greeted me with a big hello, I thought - "who is she?"

There are times I forget names but this was different - I didn't know who she was. It turns out she's a cousin who has let her hair grow gray! It took me a while to really recognize her in her new color. She's a lovely person and I finally can say she looks good with her "new hair."

We were served a delicious lunch topped off with an unbelievable dessert. When the waiter served me the dessert I thought "this must be for everyone at the whole table."

No, that entire serving was for me!

Think about it - if I hadn't gone out, nothing would have happened! ;-)

The governor of Massachusetts, Mike Dukakis, dressed in a casual sweater, appeared on television to advise the people to prepare for a massive snowstorm.

I had never paid attention to what the governor of the State was up to, but I listened to him, was impressed with what he had to say, how he said it and what he was doing to handle this major event.

Ever since then I have followed his career, through good times and bad. He always got my vote.

Now, back to what's happening here.

I live in a senior development with approximately 1,800 residents.

We have our own television station which updates the community on many of "the happenings." Today we have been informed that a contingency meal plan will be in effect, since all restaurants will be closed.

Today "Packed Dinner Service to Go" will be available from 3:00 pm to 5:00pm.

From what I hear about the weather, it probably will be available tomorrow also.

Because of the pending storm, supermarkets have been inundated with shoppers loading up on bread, milk, and eggs.

A funny thing happened a few days ago.

My son took me food shopping, and since he will be away for a few weeks, I decided that I had better load up, so I bought more than I usually do.

One item I bought a lot of was "toilet paper." In retrospect I thought about my large purchase...

When I was living at home with my parents I was always concerned about us running out of toilet paper, SO when Filene's Department store had a sale, and would deliver, I took advantage of that sale.

We never did run out of toilet paper!

Most shoppers load up on bread, milk, and eggs, I load up on bread, milk, and toilet paper! ;-)

MY EXPERIENCE AT THE RACETRACK
Twice a month Brooksby Village offers a trip to Suffolk Downs, which is a thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts.

Friends who have gone to the racetrack have told me about the great seats they had in the air-conditioned restaurant overlooking the the finish line and the wonderful buffet luncheon.

It was time for me to check it out before it no longer exists, depending on the outcome of this months casino decision.

From what I observed, most attendees at the track were seniors, who came with a group bus like I did.

We were given a racing program with an explanation of the betting process and our own betting windows. Since most of us were "of a certain age," the betting windows couldn't have been closer.

The buffet was a bit of a walk but I guess they figured "we had to eat" and would make the effort to get to the food!

I started out betting $2.00 to WIN. I lost!

After a few races I bet $2.00 to PLACE. I lost!

After those losses I bet $2.00 to SHOW. I won .40!

The lunch was good, the races were not my cup of tea!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE AFTERNOON

I got to talking to a fellow gambler who lives here at Brooksby. When I told her my name she asked if was related to John Garfield - not the actor but someone who she worked for when she first got out of high school. Lets say she was in her early 20's at the time - now she must be in her 80's - that means it has to be about 60 years ago!!!

She worked as a bookkeeper for my cousin John Garfield!!!

We exchanged memories about her boss and my cousin. He was the type of person that made an impression on you - tall, handsome and a charmer!

Her thoughts exactly!

Even though she enjoyed working for him, she did leave when a better position was offered to her.

In my previous post I wrote about "If You Don't Go Out, Nothing Happens."

How True!!!

I didn't win at the races, but I had an opportunity to share some memories with someone who knew my cousin so many years ago.

I THOUGHT I COULD OPEN EVERYTHING
Hi, Steve here,
Before we get to my mom's post about opening things, I want to jump in here and wish her a happy 89th Birthday!
Have a Great Day.
Love Steve

Now back to my mom:

A few years ago my son Steve and I did a series of videos called "I Can't Open It."

There was always something that I could not open!

I always had a running list of things that were impossible for me to open.

Doing those videos were fun and a learning experience for me. I learned how to open most everything so we discontinued that series.

Time passes and we can always count on change which leads me to the current time and a story to tell.

One day last week I had the pleasure of spending time with a friend of mine and her daughter.

My friend has been living in Florida for many years and recently moved back to Massachusetts.

I invited them to visit me here at Brooksby, have lunch in the dining room, see the grounds and spend time at my apartment.

Would you believe that in all the time that I have lived here, I've never had lunch in the Overlook dining room.

I'm just not a lunch person so it was a treat for me. The reason I'm even mentioning this is because I really enjoyed what I had.

So you say, "so what was so special about your lunch?"

I had a BLT on WHITE toast bread! Haven't had a sandwich like that in years - who eats white bread today? Me, Me, Me!

Now, getting back to my visitors - I was concerned about the distance my friend would have to walk from the clubhouse to my unit. I welcome the walk that I have, it may seem like a long walk to some people but I don't mind it at all, it gives me some exercise which I wouldn't get otherwise.

I have a unit that is on the first floor, my patio faces the clubhouse and if I chose to, instead of trampling through long corridors I thought she would appreciate a much shorter walk - I took the shortcut.

We get to my place, I pull out my key and "I could not open the door." I tried, she tried, - no, it would not open!!!

Finally, I left them sitting in comfortable chairs getting a suntan while I trampled off the long way round, came to my front door, the key worked, I got in and opened the patio door. Success!!

My friend's daughter took the video you are about to see!

So things haven't changed that much - I still can't open everything! ;-)

Was very impressed with CB. His father introduced him, well spoken, worked in Washington. CB well over 6 feet tall. Got to shake hands with him - strong handshake - felt like he did some hard work with hands.

Large attendance - Spoke clearly, down to earth - lives in Swampscott.

Ran for governor in 2010 - lost - decided to run again - some people run because they want the job - he’s running because he wants to do the job.

When he was a youngster his parents - one a Democratic - one a Republican would have conversations about the government and he learned how strongly they felt.

Voters will be asked to vote on Question 1 - re gas tax - change it so that it does not automatically increase every year due to inflation. Vote YES.

Education in schools should not be because you live in certain area code. Should be good wherever you live.

How to help economy - help bring in small businesses. That would increase employment

Re: prisons - Those who have mental or physical problems should be helped by other means - not put in prisons. Prisons should be for violent criminals.

Question from audience: What’s first thing you will do when in office? Hire the most outstanding people and they in turn will get outstanding people.

Isn’t that what Obama and Walsh have done and they try to do?

One thing he said that you would have liked hearing. Get the state running more efficiently with state of the art technology. He’d go right over to MIT and get them to help.

Re: Registry of Motor Vehicles. They are open to suite their time frame. They are working for the PEOPLE and should be open for when the workers can come and not have to take time off from work.

Young people are leaving Ma. because cost of housing is high. State should make it easier for builders to build housing that young people can afford.

Question asked - how does he feel about casino in MA. He’d vote YES - try ONE in Springfield because city needs help.

I’m surprised that I remembered so much of what he said - he really made a positive impression on me. I’m glad that I went. -

Look forward to hearing what the Democratic candidate will have to say.

IN THE OCEAN WITH THE LITTLE MERMAID
When I was a youngster, and through my grown up years, my greatest pleasure was being at the beach, either taking a walk, being in the water, collecting sea shells or just looking at the waves, it was always a great pleasure for me.

That just might be one of the reasons I loved seeing the play, "The Little Mermaid," at North Shore Music Theatre, so much.

The minute the play started I was hooked. The opening scene took place under the ocean where I saw puppets on sticks to represent schools of fish. To me they looked like REAL fish swimming in the water and I felt like I was there with them.

Adrienne Eller is the mermaid Ariel who has a beautiful voice and a playful personality.

As the story goes Ariel wants to leave the sea and live with humans above ground. She gives up her mermaid tail and gets legs. After much drama she meets Prince Eric, played by Bruce Landry. When the two of them sang together it was a perfect fairy tale scene.

Kecia Lewis plays Ursula the Sea Witch, oh, she was so wicked, had a wonderfully wicked voice, and wore an eight-legged gown!

There were many different types of fish "in the sea" wearing amazing costumes!

The amazing cast, the clever sets, the unbelievable costumes and the 12 piece orchestra made it one of the most enjoyable plays I have ever seen!

Before the show started, a spokesman from the theatre made some announcements and then asked how many children under the age of twelve were present. There were quite a few - all were very well behaved and did not make a sound while the show was in progress.

I liked what he had to say to this young audience. He hoped that what they experienced would wet there appetites for future plays in their lifetime and that they would take the place of today's theatre goers.

We ordered a pizza and a greek salad, which was large enough to serve the three of us. The salad could even have served four people.

The pizza dough was just right and the toppings were delicious. I took two pieces home!

HEARING CHALLENGE

A few months ago I finally broke down and invested in hearing aids.

I'd been having trouble hearing especially when having dinner in the main dining room. It's a large room with high ceilings and many soft spoken ladies. We usually are seated at a large table of six and as I have said, a few ladies speak very softly. I have asked them to speak up - to no avail. Not only that but one of the ladies takes her hand and places it in front of her mouth so it makes it even more difficult to hear what she says! I relayed this to a friend of mine and her reaction was, "maybe she has bad teeth!"

Some nights when I go to the dining room my hearing instruments (that's how the dealer refers to them) are so loud that I have to remove them. There are times when they help, but I find that I still need adjustments.

Now getting back to what I experienced at the British Beer Company, you ain't heard nothing yet!

It was SO EXTREMELY LOUD that I had to remove my hearing instruments and place them in a little container that I carry just in case I have a problem. By the way, when the waiter was seating us he did say that we were being seated in a quiet area! Ha!

We were all pleased with the drinks and food that we had but the noise was a turn-off.

As we were leaving my daughter-in-law said the next time we crave pizza, they would stop, pick it up, and we would have it at my nice quiet apartment! ;-)

KIDS DO THE DARNDEST THINGS
Do you remember the TV show "Kids Say the Darndest Things" hosted by Bill Cosby? That show was always good for a laugh. When Cosby asked the little one a question you could never imagine what the response would be.

I thought about that show as a result of what happened here recently.

One day last week I had a friend visit. Joining her was her five year old grandson. Kevin was a very well behaved child who brought along a small bag of miniature cars to play with. He spent some time on my patio and after a while came indoors and played with his toys on the rug.

His grandmother told me that he loves his cars, is very creative and spends lots of time making stories about them. We had a lovely afternoon and I was very impressed with this little guy who made no waves, was content with what he was doing, and the entire afternoon there was not a peep out of him.

The next day as I was walking through my living room I noticed the tray that I keep on an end table was in an awkward position. That's not the way I would ever place it! Even when I have my cleaning lady, she dusts and places the items back where she finds them.

As I pondered the changed position of the tray I keep looking at the table and realized a favorite and handsome little frog was missing!!!

Oh my goodness - could that sweet little youngster have taken it? I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that I had to call my friend and tell her (in the most gentle way) that my lovely frog was missing.

Fortunately she did not lose her cool and told me she would question Kevin about it.

She called the next day.

I was very happy and relieved when I heard Kevin's story. Looking at it from the eyes of a five year old I can now understand what went through his mind!

To paint the picture clearly I must tell you that I have a large wooden bird cage in the corner of my living room.

When he saw that adorable frog sitting alone on that big table he thought that the frog would be happier in the bird cage where nothing could happen to him!

Kids can do the darndest things and we have to try and understand them!

Have you had any experiences where you try to understand what is going on in their little heads?

LIFE WITHOUT MAD MEN
This past Sunday was the last episode of Mad Men for this season.

For the past seven weeks I have looked forward to seeing what Matthew Weiner had cooked up for the Mad Men gang. Now there's nothing to look forward to this weekend!

This season was split up and cut short.

Now I have to wait until NEXT YEAR to see how life turns out for all those characters that I know so well.

The show was on from 10:00pm to 11:00pm. Some nights I would watch it a second time and catch things that I missed the first time. Sometimes after the show was over I would go to AMC.com and read reactions and thoughts from viewers that gave me food for thought.

Every so often I'd look at the clock and see it was 11:30, it was 11:45, it was 12:00, the comments kept coming but this girl had to go to bed.

I wasn't done yet!

I have a friend that is hooked on the show like I am.

The next day we would get on the phone and analyze what had happened the previous night. What fun that was!

Sometimes she or I would mention something that took place that was subtle, you could miss it.

Each episode always had something that would surprise us, puzzle us, shock us or just leave us wanting more.

The midseason finale was fantastic.

What a surprise ending - Robert Morse who played the part of "Bert" dies.

Robert Morse made a big hit when he was a young man in the musical "How To Succeed in Business Without Trying."

He's now in his 80's, he did a marvelous song and dance routine with a group of chorus girls to the tune of "The Best Things in Life are Free."

Sometimes I just pour it out of the bottle and have it "as is." There have been times that I add a squirt of lemon juice or add some seltzer water, serve it to friends and always receive compliments about what a refreshing drink it is.

Image: Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice. Courtesy Ocean Spray

As times marches on I have found that the 64 ounce bottle of juice was getting heavier, not that the container had changed, it was me that was changing.

I liked the product, but was finding it just too awkward to handle, let alone that the bottle was hard to open. ;-)

I found an easy solution for getting the top off, just got one of those plastic or rubber disks that worked beautifully.

Grabbing hold of the bottle was another problem that I solved easily.

I just poured some of the juice into another container!

THE SHRINKING PRODUCT

Recently I needed some more of that good stuff, I saw it was on sale, and made my purchase.

When I got it home I realized that the bottle was harder to handle.

Yes, I've gotten older and weaker but this was ridiculous. I haven't aged that much in such a short time!!!

So what's a girl to do?

I did my homework before I called the company, compared the old bottle to the new bottle, and saw "they had changed the contour of the bottle!

Not only that, there was 4 ounces less in the new container.

I called Ocean Spray and explained why I was calling. Customer Service listened, heard what I said, and in appreciation of the time I took to bring my concern to their attention would send me a manufacturer's coupon.

Sure enough it didn't take to long before I received a letter explaining why the changes were made.

"Unfortunately, given rising prices of ingredients, fuel and packaging one way to defer these costs was to decrease the size of the bottle."

When I do use the coupon, I will look for a smaller size bottle of cranberry juice.

Image: Available Sizes. Courtesy Ocean Spray

No doubt, in the end, that will cost me more, but the convenience will be worth it.

"TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME" - I DID - 73 YEARS!
SIDE BAR - For the past few weeks I have not had anything that I was inspired to make a post about - Today is different - I have TWO posts that I want to share with you.

FIRST:

How did I go back in time 73 years? I have heard songs and seen movies that tell, and show, you how it can be done. Well, here's my story!

Brooksby Village offered residents the opportunity to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra perform at Merrimack College in North Andover. Transportation was provided and the cost was minimal.

As soon as I learned about this opportunity I called and made a reservation for myself and a friend. Space was limited so I didn't want to miss out on what I expected to be a great evening!

It was the greatest!

MY GLENN MILLER HISTORY

When I was a teenager I could not get enough of The Glenn Miller Band with their unique jazz sound and their great vocalists.

Image: High School Yearbook

When they appeared in Boston my friends and I would make a day of it, go in early, get the best seats available, sit through the movie until "the show started." Just seeing the band perform once was not enough! The plan was to pack a lunch and when the movie came on again some of us stayed and got better seats and some of us went to the lounge and had our lunch! Some of us even did our homework there!

I still remember the thrill I had before the show started, the curtain was closed and the band started to play "Moonlight Serenade"- the curtain opened and there they were!

"Wow!"

Spending one day at the movie house was great but NOT ENOUGH! What we did was "SKIP SCHOOL" and spend another memorable day with the Miller Band.

But we weren't through yet.

Once we left the theater we knew where the players would exit the theater and we'd be there to get their autographs. That way we got to know their names and the instruments they played.

For the longest time I would buy Downbeat Magazine to be updated on their appearances and their lives.

Now, 73 years later I got see the band again.

The feeling of anticipation and excitement was there, the band played that wonderful music, and it brought back so many wonderful memories.

The highlights of the evening were far too many for me to mention here, but I can't resist mentioning just a few - Pennsylvania 6-500, String of Pearls, At Last, and In the Mood!

I remember jitterbugging to In The Mood and knowing that we would have to keep dancing for a long time until that number was over!

The evening also made me aware that wonderful music stays alive!

NOW FOR MY SECOND POST OF THE DAY

MOTHER'S DAY

When Mothers Day comes around I know I'm going on a mystery ride.

Sometimes I guess where we are going, sometimes I don't. It's a fun thing we do. One thing I know is, we never go to a restaurant where we have to wait. My son and his wife always manage to pull that off.

When the day came, we headed north. OK, that wasn't too difficult for me, I figured we'd be going to New Hampshire or Maine, probably Maine.

I was right! Kittery, that's where there are many outlet stores. We shopped at a few places. Crate and Barrel got a little of my business.

Now it was time to eat - We were fortunate to walk into a restaurant and be seated right away.

The fun part of that dining experience was "trying at least a half dozen samplings of Maine beers. I'm not a drinker so when I go out with Steve and Carol I ask for a small glass, that way I can join in on the sampling.

EIGHTEEN IS BETTER THAN TWENTY TWO
Bet the first thing you thought of when you read the title of this post was - what could be better about being eighteen than being twenty two years old?

Gotcha!!

I wasn't referring to age, I was referring to the price of cushions for my patio chairs.

Eventually it will get warm, the sun will come out and I'll want to sit outside on comfortable chairs and enjoy it all.

This leads me to tell you about today's shopping trip with my son and daughter in-law. While I was shopping for some spring clothes, they went looking for outdoor cushions. They know what colors I would be happy with and brought me three different types.

One was thin at a low price, one was of a medium thickness with a moderate price and one was thick at a high price.

In my opinion, the high priced cushion, at $22.00 was to much to pay for an item like that, especially at Walmart. After all I was going to have to buy TWO pillows, that meant they would cost me a total of $44.00.

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall and heard the discussion we were having about why I should consider the most comfortable and best looking pillow of the bunch!

They convinced me to buy the $22.00 pillow!

By the time I got to the check-out register I was a happy camper and what do you know, when the cashier punched in the price of the pillows they rang up at $18.00 each. Boy, what a pleasant surprise that was!!!

I was brought up during the Great Depression and even as a youngster I knew my parents where having a difficult time making ends meet.

Even as a child I loved reading the newspaper and realized how hard things were. I stopped asking for money to buy the paper.

On the other hand my father continued to read the Jewish Forward. He did what many families did, they read the newspaper at the dining room table, that was our shared activity, our entertainment and how we learned what was going on in the world.

I think anyone growing up in those days never forgets how it was to make a living and values a dollar.

It's been many years since those hard times but it's something that just stays with you.

So, to me it was a big deal to spend that much for outdoor cushions for my patio chairs.

MY ADVENTURES ON THE TOWN
Do you remember the 1944 musical "On The Town?" Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin perform as three sailors who have a 24 hour leave in New York. They somehow manage to find love and incredible adventure in the Big Apple.

I thought of that movie because I recently had two adventures on the town.

It's just about a month since I had my surgery and I haven't done much of anything except eat, drink and not be merry. The healing process takes a lot longer than 24 hours so, no exciting adventures for me.

BUT I must tell you that I did have some exciting experiences("loosely speaking")recently. It all depends where you are coming from to think that something is exciting.

If you have been home for days on end and then you get out into the world, that in itself is exciting! I'll never forget the time I took my sister-in-law out for a ride after she had been ill for sometime, how thrilled she was!!! We take all that for granted until we don't have the freedom or ability to come and go as we please.

FIRST ADVENTURE

My son and daughter-in-law asked me if I would like to go out to restaurant at a recently opened mall. YES, I would!!! I felt good and getting out would be great.

It so happens that there was a sportswear shop in that mall close to the restaurant. What a great opportunity to "maybe buy some new spring clothes!!!"

We went in, I tried on a few items and that did me in. Guess I wasn't as chipper as I thought I was.

Dinner was great but trying on clothes was just to much for me. I'll have to look more seriously at shopping via the internet!

SECOND ADVENTURE

That first adventure taught me to limit my "ON THE TOWN" adventures so my "big deal treat" was to go into a Walgreens and buy a few products.

To top the day off we went to a casual restaurant for a bite to eat.

Let me tell you, I had the greatest time doing something so "NICE AND EASY."